Wednesday, April 1, 2015

Eterna Royal KonTiki Chronograph GMT

Eterna launches the new Royal KonTiki Chronograph GMT, which houses the brand’s first proprietary chronograph movement. Based on the Eterna 39 calibre, the automatic movement features a flyback stopwatch, a second time zone and a date display. With its brand-new engine and rugged, masculine design, the Royal KonTiki Chronograph GMT fits effortlessly into the long series of exciting timepieces in the KonTiki watch family, whose success goes back many, many years.

The new Royal KonTiki Chronograph GMT features the first chronograph movement developed and manufactured entirely by the company's own watchmakers. For a premiere on this scale, Eterna was not to be satisfied with a simple chronograph. The 3927A calibre's practical stopwatch is equipped with a flyback function, a second time zone display and a date window between 4 and 5 o'clock. While the coaxial chronograph's 30-minute and 12-hour counters share the totalizer at 3 o'clock, a second time zone with 24-hour calibration occupies its own subdial at 6 o'clock. Ensuring the dial's harmonious balance is a small seconds display at 9 o'clock.

The latest KonTiki model, with its striking, sporty appearance, remains true to the long series of successful predecessors, but still demonstrates a distinctive personality of its own. The first eye catching feature is the bold, colourful dial design, which does much to underscore the chronograph's dynamic character: a narrow, signal red circle running round the outside of the dial provides a dynamic contrast to the blue that references the origins of the KonTiki watch family. This reminder of Thor Heyerdahl's ocean-going expedition, to which the successful timepiece has for decades owed its name, is also emphasized by the unmistakable, wave-inspired design at the centre.

The appliquéd hour indices coated with white Super-Luminova and the striking, likewise luminescent hands, stand out boldly against the dial to guarantee outstanding legibility. The silver-coloured numerals in the subdials and date display stand out starkly against their black backgrounds and are highly legible even in difficult lighting conditions.

No less conspicuous are the rugged, 45-millimetre stainless-steel case and bracelet of the Royal KonTiki Chronograph GMT. But the strong character and robust masculine impression left by the timepiece is due primarily to the unmistakable bezel. It comprises five black ceramic arcs, separated by five black, PVD-coated screws, and arranged in such a way as to depict the famous Eterna logo. The chronograph push-buttons are coated with rubber and thus easy to operate. The crown protection is made of blackened steel. In the bracelet, links made of high-quality black rubber complement those in cool stainless steel.

The Royal KonTiki Chronograph GMT's 3927A movement is based on Eterna's in-house 39 calibre equipped with additional features such as automatic winding, flyback chronograph, second time zone and date display. In its basic form, the 39 calibre is hand-wound and has hour and minute hands, but thanks to its innovative and unique design, can be simply and efficiently upgraded to include additional components and subassemblies. The calibre can be used as the basis for no fewer than 88 different movements. The new 3927A chronograph movement has other impressive features such as chronometer-level precision and a guaranteed 60-hour power reserve, but is also equipped with further-improved Spherodrive technology.